Interesting indeed. I thought that a Friday night would call for some more adventurous beer tasting, rather than buying the usual brands one already knows.

Tonight’s choice fell for Cuvée René, apparently a world-famous and world’s best Gueuze.
The label in the shop marketed it with a dry, fresh taste and a touch of orange peel.

Well then, let’s buy it and try it. Luxurious it felt, with the little golden wrap, and not to mention the price tag of like 5 £ per bottle (yep, crazy, I know, but after all it is Friday!!!).

Let’s open it! Hang on a second, what’s this?? Double layers?! Maybe it was Champagne hidden as beer? (Which would also explain the price tag?)Never mind, opened it, no problem with the right tools at hand.

Poured it into the glass. It behaved like beer at least.

Tasted it.

Well.

Interesting.

Interesting indeed.

Well, let’s say this much. The fresh taste cannot be denied, and neither can the zesty, citrus sensation on your tongue. VERY dry indeed.

We learnt this much tonight, Gueuze is definitely a special kind of drink. Neither beer, nor champagne, somewhere in-between, it seems. If you trust what your tongue messages to the brain. All ingredients as beer, though, when one reads the label. And when now reading about it on Wikipedia, it is indeed called “Brussels Champagne”! So the impression it made on us wasn’t entirely wrong! Very special. Very… tongue curling. Somehow. Face twisting as well.

As a good old German saying goes “Sauer macht lustig” (sour turns you happy – don’t ask me where this derives from, though!) – that was truly matching tonight’s Gueuze testing session.

We had loads of fun with involuntarily making funny faces, and we managed to empty both bottles. Into ourselves, not into the sink. That would have been a waste of alcohol. And far too expensive.

Oh yes, remarkably enough the alcohol doesn’t feel at the start – at all. It comes creeping up on you with a nice delay. So if you like lemonade with little or no sugar, you can drink Gueuze just like that. With the difference that the alcohol hits you a teeny-weeny bit later.

Like me right now.

Skål!

Bit of telly now (hopefully not passing out asleep on the sofa), and then bed. I have to work tomorrow. Maybe I should buy some of these bottles for lunch … interesting….

😉

#42 of #blogg100 (“meaning of life” post)